Carte "specially engaged" George Grossmith for the part of the King of Vignolia, but his reappearance on the Savoy stage after an absence of nearly ten years was not a success and he withdrew after only three performances.

King Ferdinand, while disguised as a court artist, has fallen in love with the peasant maid Felice, despite the fact that his late father decreed that he marry Lucilla Chloris, the daughter of the king of Osturia. Chloris has arrived for the wedding, but she is in love with Prince Max of Baluria. Things are complicated by the antics of Boodel, the King's former master of the revels. He keeps overhearing the tail-ends of conversations and concludes that a plot to assassinate Ferdinand is afoot. Most suspicious to him is a trunk carried by Felice.

• Introduction by Clifton Coles

• Libretto
  • Text File (120Kb)
  • PDF File (218Kb)
  • Notes on the libretto

• Reviews
  • First night review from The Times, 22 February 1897
  • Review of the revised version from The Times, 27 March 1897
  • Selection of other reviews compiled by Scott Farrell

• First night cast

• Programmes from the production
  • 20 February 1897
  • 23 February 1897
  • 27 March 1897

• MIDI files sequenced by Colin Johnson

Page modified 14 January 2017